Harry v. Tom (was: LV never loved anyone)

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 110606

SSSusan wrote :
"I said that Tom understands right & wrong.  I think he does, 
intellectually.  I totally agree that that DOESN'T automatically 
translate into behavior nor a moral compass or superego.  But it's an
important step that he's aware of right & wrong because it speaks to
choice, imo."

Del replies :
I don't think it can speak of choice. What Tom understands is what
other people *call* right and wrong, not what *is* right and wrong.

It's a bit like colours for blind people : they know that other people
see colours and make choices based on them, but they don't see those
colours themselves. They can learn the rules of their society
concerning colours (women wear a white dress on their wedding day,
people wear black at funerals, you don't wear red shoes with a black
robe, or whatever) so that they will be able to conform to them if
needs be, but it doesn't change the fact that they don't *know* what
colours are. If they had it their own way, colours wouldn't matter at
all. (I'm over-simplifying, I know, please nobody be mad at me.)

Similarly, Tom knows that other people hold those concepts of right
and wrong, and of love too, and that they make decisions based on
those concepts. He also knows that he is expected to make similar
decisions and so he does as long as he can't escape. But that doesn't
mean that he knows what right, wrong and love are. If he had it his
own way, those things wouldn't matter.

Del